The cable industry is currently introducing audio-only services. These cable "radio stations" may play a continuous succession of musical selections. Stations may be dedicated, for example, to different types of music such as rock, jazz, blues, easy listening, etc. Such service may be offered as a premium service in a cable system which also provides standard video services.
One technique for delivering high quality audio-only services is the use of digital audio. However, maintaining a large and diverse digital audio programming library is typically too expensive for most local system operators. Thus, such services may be provided by a vendor who provides digital audio programming to a number of system operators using, for example, a satellite system. The local system operator then need only provide equipment for combining the digital audio programming with the standard video services.
However, since the digital audio programming is provided by a vendor at locations remote from a system operator, the system operator has limited control of the audio services. For example, control of subscriber terminals is accomplished via subscriber terminal control transactions forwarded from the remote location. This reduces the ability of the local operator to effectively service customer problems since the local operator will frequently have to rely on the willingness of the vendor to quickly troubleshoot any problems which may arise. Delays in servicing individual subscribers results in dissatisfaction with the local system operator.
Additionally, a local operator using digital audio programming from a remote source is limited to providing programming from this remote source. Thus, events such as concerts by local symphonies and the like which may be of interest only to local subscribers are not offered.